My thanks to a CNA from Arkansas who shared following about the overwhelming burden of nursing home work. We applaud her courage for speaking out and sharing her story! Out of a sense of social justice, changes must come to the nursing home industry. The voices of persons who, like this CNA, know from the inside about the problems within the nursing home industry, can help lead to significant changes when their story is shared. We are glad to share her story, as painful as it is (on many levels)…

“I’m a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with 10 years of experience. I love helping people and that is why I picked this career.

I’ve only worked in nursing homes and have to say everyone of them had staffing problems. I’m always exhausted by the end of my shift and yet I’m not even 30 years old. Many days I feel like I’m one of the older people I take care of. This job has worn me down: I have chronic lower back pain along with arthritis in my back.

I’m a struggling single mom with hopefully many years ahead of me. But when anyone tells me they are thinking of being a CAN, I tell them don’t do it! The nursing homes don’t care about how they work the CNAs and the nurses seem to only know how to put more work on you. This is a bad business to get into if you value your back and knees, not to mention the employment benefits are almost non-existent. After a decade of working as a CNA in Arkansas I only make $9.00 a hour!

Arkansas desperately needs to change state regulations regarding nursing home staffing levels! If things don’t change in a big way and soon there will be no CNAs to take care of anyone because most of us are injured or just plain worn out! The past generations of CNAs just took the crap, while this generation knows change has to be made. I can’t keep quiet and do my job anymore it is literally killing me from the inside out.”

A CNA (most of them are females) in Arkansas who has a decade of experience is making $9.00 per hour, while the CEO’s of many for-profit nursing home corporations (many of which are men) are easily earning over $1 million per year! This is criminal, not to mention obscene. Oh yeah, and more than a little bit sexist!